News

Scandal of beach where Britons died

IT now seems clear that more Britons lost their lives on the tiny spit of beach that divides the dazzling island of Phi Phi Don than at any other single location hit by the tsunami in the Indian Ocean.

When the death toll is finally reckoned — and there is evidence to suggest it is well over 100 — there will be a hard question for the families of those who were lost and for the tour operators who sent them here.

Why did so many people die so suddenly in such a small place? The answer highlights the corruption, greed and negligence that lie behind the smile of Thailand’s £5.3 billion-a-year tourist industry.

The reason is that too many people were crammed into too little space on a remote island that should never have become a resort.

Unscrupulous developers, poor regulation and venal government officials have all been blamed by the